UG announces powerful line-up of speakers for upcoming virtual graduation ceremonies

Feb 03, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The University of Guyana’s (UG) upcoming virtual graduation ceremonies will see a powerful line-up of speakers, including well-known businessman and former politician, Stanley Ming; international Tzar on transportation, security, customs, and trade issues Mr. Khanai “Ken” Singh; leading Guyana-born scientist, Mr. Vidia Roopchand and highly decorated Guyanese Poet-Educator, Grace Nichols.

Khanai Singh

In a release, the university noted that close to 2,600 graduands from over 50 disciplines are expected to walk the virtual stage when the University of Guyana hosts its second series of virtual graduation ceremonies set to commence on February 4. This is the 55th Convocation for the Turkeyen Campus and the 20th for the Berbice Campus.
To kick off, Mr. Stanley Ming will deliver the keynote address at the first ceremony scheduled for Friday, February 4. This will include graduands from the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry (FAF), Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET), and the School of Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation (SEBI).
Ming is a well-known businessman, former politician, philanthropist, and champion racer. His illustrious career spans both the public and private sectors.
He attended Queen’s College in 1963-1970. He is the Founder and CEO of Isika Construction & Engineering Inc. (ICE) as well as Founder and CEO of Ming’s Products & Services Ltd.
Ming served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC) (2016-2020), Chairman/Shareholder for General Equipment (Guyana) Ltd (1992-2017), and Chairman/Shareholder for Farm Supplies Ltd (1993 – 2015).

Stanley Ming

During his tenure as a politician, in 2001-2006, he served as a Member of Parliament in Guyana’s National Assembly, Shadow Minister for Housing and Water, Member of the Public Accounts Committee, Member of the Social Services Committee, and Board Member of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-INVEST).
This successful businessman is also an avid sportsman and many know him as a champion racer. In 1971, he began racing at the South Dakota Circuit, Timehri, and went on to compete internationally in Grand Prix (GP) motorcycles racing in Barbados, Jamaica, Cuba, England, and Daytona – U.S.A. He was also the Caribbean Motorcycle Champion for four years.
Mr. Ming is involved in the work of several NGOs and charitable organisations. He is married to Dr. Michele Ming and is a father of four.
The second ceremony set for Saturday, February 5, will see leading Guyanese scientist Vidia Roopchand delivering the keynote address and will involve graduands from the College of Medical Sciences, College of Behavioural Sciences & Research, and the Faculty of Natural Sciences (FNS).
Mr. Roopchand is a University of Guyana alumni. He is originally from the Island of Wakenaam in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).
Mr. Roopchand currently serves as one of the leading scientists at the top American firm, Pfizer. He rose to international fame for his role in the development of the Pfizer vaccine, which is currently being rolled out in countries, including Guyana, to help fight the dreaded Coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.
Mr. Roopchand graduated in 1990 with a Degree in Chemistry from the University of Guyana. He then moved to New York, USA where he completed a Master’s degree in Immunology at the New York Medical College and another Master’s in Chemical Engineering at Columbia University.
The renowned scientist has been working with Pfizer for over 28 years and spent his career supporting the efforts of the research and development team to develop innovative vaccines that prevent diseases and to help treat people globally.

Grace Nichols

He was part of the “Kick Polio out of Africa” movement initiated by the late great South African president, Mr. Nelson Mandela. His efforts have contributed to the reduction of polio and pneumococcal disease around the world.
For the third ceremony set for Friday, February 11, 2022, Mr. Khanai Singh will deliver the keynote address. This ceremony will involve graduands from the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS).
Mr. Kanhai Singh is a proud graduate of the Faculty of Social Sciences. He is the founding President of Atlas International Freight Forwarding Inc. and Canadian Customs Brokers Inc. In 1996, he also founded and is the President of Cargo Partners Network (CPN) – a worldwide freight association for the advancement of technology, security and customs unification globally, with representation in over 90 countries.
Mr. Singh was born in Strangroen, East Coast Demerara in Guyana. Following the completion of his secondary education at Tutorial High School in Georgetown, he then enrolled at the University of Guyana where he completed studies in Sociology and Psychology in 1976.
In Guyana, Mr. Singh worked for British Airways. He left for Canada in 1977 and got enrolled at York University, Toronto. In 1979, he earned a BA in Sociology and in 1981, he earned a BA in Business Administration.

Vidia Roopchand

He is a guest speaker across Canada and internationally on transportation, security, customs and trade issues. For over 40 years, Mr. Singh has been actively involved in providing humanitarian and charitable relief all over the world. He served as Chair of the Advisory Council, York University, and also the Humber College Advisory Council to implement a Degree Programme in International Trade and Logistics.
He received the 2005 Businessman of the Year Award in Ottawa, Canada. This is in addition to other numerous awards and recognitions for his significant contribution to the industry, trade, and charitable organisations.
For the fourth ceremony on Saturday, February 12, renowned Guyanese poet Grace Nichols will deliver the keynote address. This ceremony will involve graduands from the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences (FEES), Faculty of Education and Humanities (FEH) and Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) – Degree and Diploma Programmes only.
Grace Nichols is an award-winning Guyanese poet. She was born in Georgetown in 1950 and grew up in a small country village on the Guyanese coast.
She moved to the city with her family when she was eight, an experience central to her first novel, Whole of a Morning Sky (1986), set in 1960s Guyana in the middle of the country’s struggle for independence.
She worked as a teacher and journalist and, as part of a Diploma in Communications at the University of Guyana, spent time in some of the most remote areas of Guyana, a period that influenced her writings and initiated a strong interest in Guyanese folk tales, Amerindian myths and the South American civilisations of the Aztec and Inca. She has lived in the UK since 1977.
Her first poetry collection, “I is a Long-Memoried Woman”, was published in 1983. The book won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize and a subsequent film adaptation of the book was awarded a gold medal at the International Film and Television Festival of New York. The book was also dramatised for radio by the BBC. Subsequent poetry collections include The Fat Black Woman’s Poems (1984), Lazy Thoughts of a Lazy Woman (1989), and Sunrise (1996). She also writes books for children, inspired predominantly by Guyanese folklore and Amerindian legends, including Come on into My Tropical Garden (1988) and Give Yourself a Hug (1994). Everybody Got A Gift (2005) includes new and selected poems, and her collection, Startling the Flying Fish (2006), contains poems that tell the story of the Caribbean.
Her latest books are Picasso, I Want My Face Back (2009); I Have Crossed an Ocean: Selected Poems (2010); The Insomnia Poems (2017), and Passport to Here and There (2020), which received a Poetry Book Society Special Commendation.
She was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry for the year 2021 for her body of work, particularly her first collection of poetry, I is a Long-Memoried Woman (1983), prose and several books for younger readers.
In 2007, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Grace Nichols lives in England with her partner, the poet Sir John Agard.
In addition to the keynotes, the Minister of Education, Honourable Priya Manickchand, will deliver the charge to graduands. UG’s Chancellor, Professor Edward Greene, will deliver remarks.
Additionally, there will be a rich cultural programme featuring stunning performances by various renowned Guyanese artistes.
A record number of attendees are expected this year since due to the online nature of the event, there will be no limit to the number of invitees who can join the proceedings via UG’s Facebook LiveStream @uniofguyana.